Microstructures are typically used on an aircraft to alter flight characteristics and/or dynamics of the aircraft. In particular, microstructures such as riblets are used on surfaces of an aircraft wing, a fin or a fuselage of an aircraft to reduce drag and/or a drag coefficient of the aircraft, which can result in overall fuel savings and/or reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions, etc. However, riblets and other microstructures can also cause or prevent certain optical effects and characteristics including high reflectivity, directional reflectiveness, and/or other potential effects to the aesthetics of the aircraft based on their geometry. High reflectivity and the associated directional reflectiveness is often referred to as glint, which can affect the visibility and/or an aesthetic look of an aircraft. Riblets may cause glint in atypical directions due to their geometries, shapes and/or features in comparison to typical aircraft surfaces (e.g., wing surfaces, fuselage surfaces, etc.).
In some situations, high glint is preferred and in other situations, high glint is not preferable. Some known solutions to reduce glint include low reflectivity optical coatings such as a flat black paint or multilayer film coatings. However, these solutions are not generally effective at high glancing angles (e.g., approaching 90 degrees from a surface normal) where glint is almost always produced. Other known solutions include decals, but applying these to aerodynamic surfaces such as riblets can have negative impacts on the aerodynamic properties of the riblets and, thus, reduce the riblet effectiveness.